I have always wanted to jog/run. But now that I am heavy, I am afraid to start a running program for fear of injury that would then affect my ability to walk - which I enjoy immensely. Walking is presently my main exercise. (Lost 12 pounds/5 wks.) Should I wait a bit to improve my degree of fitness/strength before starting? Any advice?

You have to single yourself out and go at YOUR pace. Listen to your body. IF you need an extra minute to walk in your walk/run routine, then that's ok. The exercise police are not going to come arrest you. It's better to take the extra minute and finish the workout than to put yourself out too much and end up hating all of it.

Running is a more intense workout, gets your heart rate higher, and creates more health and fitness benefits.

However, the impact of running is hard on the body, and is something that should definitely be approached gradually. And for some people with joint issues, this impact means that they should stick to lower-impact exercise (low impact can still be high intensity).

One alternative to add intensity to your walking is to add hills to your route.

Some people find they just don't enjoy running. Others find it very natrual and empowering. Perhaps try the C25K program, and if when you complete it you still don't like it, try a different form of exercise. But at least you will know that you CAN run.

I would definitely recommend a Couch to 5K program as the best way to get into running. www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=598Rather than running continuously, these programs work through progressively increasing intervals of running and walking, giving your body time to adapt to the impact of running.

And I echo the advice to keep your running pace down at this stage - you should be aiming at something that is not much faster than a brisk walk. Less speed = less impact. And less impact will probably make running easier of your core as well. Once you are running continuously and comfortably, then you can start working on increasing your speed.

I have seen lots of people in my neighbor constantly running and I am sooo ready to get back in shape. Can you guys give me some pointers on how to get started? I assume I just don't go run 5 miles in one day however i have a habit of overdoing it when I start. I feel good while exercising and keep going then the next day totally crippled and can't sneeze without being in pain. Wanted to start today however it has been downpouring all day. Thanks for any tips!!!

Make sure you're not running two days in a row--it's much higher impact than walking, and your body needs days off in between each run to recover and get stronger. And don't worry about speed yet--go slowly enough that you could carry on a conversation. Speed will come later. :)

If you are getting into running pretty regularly, I would suggest scheduling rest days (maybe do cross-training these days like swimming or cycling) so that your knees don't get worn out. I'm speaking from experience here! Haha... bah.

Thanks for all the replies! I'm very comfortable with walking. Have lost 58 lbs so far and have walked a 5K and half marathon in the past two months. I was able to run a mile today without stopping. It was verrrryyyyyy slow, but I'm just trying to pace myself! Thanks again for all the tips. Keep them coming! :)

When I first started running again, my abs got sore. It went away so as long as it isn't painful I would worry about it. I get bored just flat out running so I typically do sprints and add incline walking there and there. It all seems to target different areas of the lower body so I've liked the way I have been able to transform my legs and butt.

Don't push yourself harder than you're able to go. If you're running and you feel like you need to walk, then walk. You'll get to the point where you can run for longer, but you don't want to 1)burn yourself out with it or 2)get injured. Best of luck!!

RUNNINGAL425
Posts:
1,067
6/10/13 10:20 A

If you are totally new to walking and running, I would suggest walking only for a time before running at all, especially if you are very heavy. Your joints need to get used to the extra force exerted on them. Once you begin running, I suggest that you build up miles slowly. This helps to avoid injury.

I was very overweight (morbidly obese) before I started walking. I walked for about a year and a half before I ran one step. This may not apply to you, however, remember that the force exerted on your joints is much more when you run than when you walk.

My advice - take it slow. Run as slow as you can, maybe even painfully slow. You want to build endurance before you focus on speed. If you look at training programs beyond the 5K you will see most miles are run "easy" or "slow" with very little speed work.

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